Imagine your daughter gets married.....to someone in the construction industry. He comes to you and says: "Mom and Dad, your neighborhood is going downhill. Let me build you a house just as you want it."

This is what my dad said to my grandparents almost 60 years ago. You could buy a lot and build whatever you wanted [[within reason, of course). No cookie cutter homes...every house was a statement. How cool!

My grandparents [[with my parents' help) protested their property taxes for 1957 due to I-94 construction and included photos in their protest. Interesting to see views of decimated Harper before expressway construction. Here they are, with my mother's comments in blue italics.

[[Note the East Side Drive-In in the photo)
Name: 1958 Alstead Photos1.jpg Views: 3948 Size: 148.7 KB
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"Corner of Kingsville & Harper - part of our view has become a dump lot. Harper Woods Police have been called by the women next door [[on the corner) re this but they always arrive after the dumping has been done."

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"Our view from our back yard-the block's line off our lot line" Note the Mobil Station at the corner of Kingsville and Harper.

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"Real Estate house. - Empty, partly torn down. Rat infested."

I have more vintage photos of this area if anyone is interested. I would also like to say that the phone number for the Woods Bar and Lounge was TU4-0462. How do I know this? Because it was written on several receipts my mother saved while the house was getting built. Hey, construction workers get thirsty and the bar was only a block away!